Nature Unlocked: Pollination

We often think of insects buzzing around our flower beds or meadows, but pollen and nectar also come from trees, which only have a tiny footprint in our landscapes.

Whether insect-pollinated or wind-pollinated, flowering or cone-bearing, trees are key to lots of species.

The pollination research at Wakehurst aims to identify which trees in the gardens are most effective for supporting diverse populations of bees and other insects, like wasps, butterflies and moths.

Whilst there have been many studies over the years focusing on pollinators, very few have looked at the value of trees within pollinator communities.

The buzz about trees: Cutting-edge bioacoustics research

Marking a major step for our pollinator scientists, a new research project has launched to better understand bee abundance across the gardens.

We’ve installed high-tech bioacoustics monitors in a range of trees that listen for the buzz of bees and interpret this into crucial ecological data.

Eight trees were selected to house the monitors, with Wakehurst’s Arboretum team skilfully installing three monitors per tree, alongside solar panels to power each piece of equipment. The trees selected are a mix of native and non-native species and include Horse chestnuts (Aesculus genus) and lime tree (Tilia) species, which were selected because of their known benefits to pollinators.

“By using bioacoustics monitors, we can capture invaluable data on pollinator activity in ways never before possible. This technology allows us to listen in on the hidden world of bumblebees, helping us understand which trees support the highest abundance. Our findings will be key to creating greener urban spaces that provide a future for our wildlife.” - Janine Griffiths-Lee, Pollination research lead

Citizen Science

We would like to find out what our pollinators are foraging on at Wakehurst. We can’t do this alone - we need your help!

Take a walk around the gardens, counting the insects that are visiting flowering or pollen producing trees to help us collect data essential for our scientist's work.

By taking part in our project, you’ll become a citizen scientist, helping find solutions to environmental changes.

We have listed when certain trees are expected to be flowering to help you target trees to go to during your visit. As well as counting insects we are asking people to record if a tree is not in flower when it is expected to be, this will give us vital information about how tree flowering times are changing with the changing climate.

We’re looking to plant trees that are favoured by our pollinators but also suitable for a changing climate, in our urban areas.

The study will consider which trees are most effective at reducing the impact of heavy rainfall and pollution, promoting human wellbeing, keeping cities cooler and providing shade. As well as which trees enhance biodiversity by supplying vital resources for insects that are not pollinators.

How to get involved

The Trees for Bees project is open to anyone and everyone who wants to take part. All you need is a smart phone and the Trees for Bees app.

You’ll find instructions on how to start monitoring pollinators in the landscape in our citizen science guide available at the Visitors Centre on arrival and as a downloadable PDF.

Tree species list and pollinator ID guide

Thank you for taking part in the Trees for Bees project.

Running from March to September 2025 – don’t miss out.

Results, growth and recognition

All findings for Nature Unlocked projects will be made public and shared via Wakehurst.

By taking part in Trees for Bees, you will have an opportunity to contribute to impactful scientific research; become part of a citizen science collective; and develop skills in data collection and insect identification.

Credit for data collected by citizen scientists will be given through our citizen science team.

For more information on citizen science, email naturelab@kew.org .